Chalk divas. Divnogorye Plateau - chalk and cave churches and monasteries

Our country is replete with places of unique beauty, with marvelous landscapes, architectural ensembles and modern high-tech buildings.

Let's talk about one of them, a beautiful and unforgettable corner of Russia - the fabulous Divnogorye - this word is bewitching and sounds like music.

Are you a fan of outdoor activities?

This place is made for you!

Here, far from civilization, you can enjoy the magnificent monuments of ancient architecture, breathe deeply into the free steppe air and the spicy smell of field herbs.

Where is this fabulous corner?

Divnogorye Is a modern fairy tale, which is located in Liskinsky district of the Voronezh region. It owes its name to the chalk pillars, called by the locals "divas", which means a miracle.

Divnogorsk fairy tale is located at a distance of 10 km from the center of Liski, on the right bank of the mighty Don River.

The museum was founded in 1988, and later it was given the status of a reserve.

The Natural Museum is spread over an area of \u200b\u200bover 1,100 hectares.

Cretaceous deposits occupy most of the open-air museum.

Here are one of a kind - cave chalk churchesfounded in the 17th century.

Over 60 thousand tourists from all over Russia, near and far abroad come here every year during the tourist season.

In winter, the Voronezh region has a lot of rainfall, it becomes uncomfortable to attend excursions, so the tourist season in Divnogorye opens in May and ends in October.

How to get to the natural museum and how many kilometers from Voronezh

Before you come to Divnogorye and start exploring archaeological sites, churches and a monastery located in the reserve, you need to know how to get here.

Initially arrive in the city Voronezh, from which at a distance of 150 km is our final destination - divnogorye farm.

Information on how to get to the intended point from Voronezh to Divnogorye hamlet:

1. How to get there by car

2. How to get there by bus

With one change on the route Voronezh-Liski-Divnogorye.

We go first Voronezh-Liski.

The bus leaves from the Central bus station of Voronezh (from the railway station Voronezh-1 can be reached by buses - Nos. 67 A, 13 N, 121, minibus - 37 A, 49 B).

The trip will take time - 2h.25 minutes, ticket price - 153 rubles.

Bus transfer Liski Divnogorye

(the bus leaves from the forecourt). The trip takes time - 1 hour 30 minutes, ticket price - 130 rubles.

3. By electric train on the route Voronezh - Liski - Divnogorye

Electric train to the station Liski city, ticket price is 174 rubles, travel time - 2 hours 17 minutes
Change in the city of Liski, exit on the platform 143 km - cost - 90 rubles, about 30 minutes.

It should be remembered! Vipers are found in these places, but they do not descend to the river, so think about the form of equipment in advance. Clothing and shoes should be covered.

The main attractions of Divnogorye

On the territory of the museum-reserve are:

Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God
Church of St. John the Baptist
Church Divnogorskaya-3
Holy Assumption Divnogorsky Monastery (17th century).

There is also an archaeological monument of ancient culture, the so-called Mayatskoe fortification, or rather, what remains of it - the ruins and the burial ground.

Against the background of natural phenomena, Cretaceous pillars were formed, which are divided into Large and Small Divaswhich are 3 kilometers apart.

Big divas

Cave temples carved into the rocks are the main attractions of the unique museum.

Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God

The temple of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, located in the Great Divas, was cut down by monks directly in the rock. It dates from the 17th century, the temple is made of two tiers, it also has a bypass gallery and an altar.

An ancient legend says that this miraculous icon stopped the outbreak of cholera in this village.

Due to the humid climate in the cave, the Sicilian icon of the Mother of God is delivered to the church only during the days of worship, and a copy of the icon is constantly displayed in it.

Church of St. John the Baptist

In the Cretaceous sediments of Small Divas is the Church of St. John the Baptist. According to legend, the Greek monks Xenophon and Joasaph became the founders of this temple.

The church was first mentioned in the middle of the 17th century.

Near the church, a bell tower was cut down in a chalk pillar.

Outside, the Church of St. John the Baptist looks like a rock lined with chalk blocks, it contains: a gallery for the procession and an altar. The architecture of the church buildings resembles a pseudo-Gothic style.

In 1998, the church became part of the Divnogorsk Monastery.

The next cave church is called Divnogorskaya-3.

This is an unfinished church located on Mount Shatrishche.

It is part of the museum complex Divnogorye, but only tourists with climbing skills and knowledge can make an excursion to the cave.

Tip. When visiting temples located in the rocks, we recommend taking warm clothes, it’s cool enough there, even on the hottest day.

Mayatskoe settlement and necropolis

In addition to the mentioned temple architectural structures, visit the Mayatskoye fortification, which includes pottery workshops, a fortress and an ancient settlement with a necropolis.

Where to stay

Campers have a very popular holiday in tents on the banks of the Silent Pine River, where you can swim, sunbathe, go fishing, enjoy the healing air and night trills of birds and cicadas.

Tourists who prefer a comfortable stay can stay in the town of Liski in the private sector or in a hotel.

The cost of daily living in the private sector is from 500 rubles, in a hotel per day you will pay for a single room from 900 rubles.

For motorists there is a paid parking lot at the administration building of the museum-reserve.

If you are planning a camping holiday with a picnic, pre-stock food and drinking water in Liski.

There is a summer cafe in Divnogorye and a grocery store.

What souvenirs can I buy

Tourists who come on an excursion to the museum-reserve will certainly want to bring memorable souvenirs reminiscent of a visit to this unique place.

In the souvenir shop of the nature reserve, you can buy bells with the image of temples and the monastery of the Big and Small Divas made of ceramics.

The pottery workshop makes mugs with the hallmarks of the masters, in the likeness of ancient utensils used by residents who lived in these places long before us.

Samples of these products are also presented in the gift shop and are willingly bought by tourists.

Divnogorye is a natural architectural and archaeological open-air museum-reserve. Often this place is called simply "Divas." The most interesting thing here is the picturesque chalk columns (divas) and mysterious 17th century cave chalk churches. As well as the remains of the Mayatsk settlement 9-10 centuries, beautiful views, an impressive canyon and beautiful landscapes, endemic plants and insects. Well, and besides, here you can feel incredible freedom, such is the space here and civilization seems so far away. Plateau, valleys, fields, rivers somewhere below, silence and wind! Lots of winds! And miracles happen here. I seriously)) I will tell about them below.

Required wear comfortable shoes (girls, comfortable high-heeled shoes will not work) and take warm clothes, because in the depths of the cave church the temperature all year round is about +11 degrees.

How to get to Divnogorye

By car from Voronezh your journey will take 2 - 2.5 hours. I recommend driving through the town of Liski, on the M4 Don highway. It will take longer to get along the Ostrogozh highway: the road there is worse. If you find "Divnogorye Khutor" in the navigator and put a point there, it will lead you where you need to.

Look at the official website of Divnogorye driving directions.

Can also be reached by train from Voronezh to the Liski railway station, and then to the 143 km platform.

Museum tour

Without an excursion, you simply can’t get to the cave churches.
The excursions start at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00 and 16.00. On Saturdays there is still a tour at 18.00.
Groups from 7 people. The cost of a sightseeing tour is 250 rubles.

It is possible to visit the museum reserve without an excursion - it's free.

We arrived in Divnogorye in early November, one of the last days. We drove by 12 o’clock, we were sure that the group would be typed. It turned out that we are alone, and there are no more willing. We were sent to wait a bit in the gift shop - maybe someone else will drive up. Nobody drove up. There was already an idea to pay extra for the remaining 5 people, but the idea was not particularly pleasing. And then the first miracle happened. A female guide came out to us, smiling affably, and said: "Are you ready? Let's go!" Oh miracle, they agreed to conduct a two-hour tour in November, in the cold, for the sake of two people! Although they had every reason to refuse us.

When the story had already begun, and we went further from the first point, the guide called and asked to wait for two more comers. As a result, we were four of us.

Map of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve

Divnogorsk Holy Assumption Monastery.
Cave Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in the Small Divas, XVII century.
Selyavinsky Kurgan group, the Bronze Age.
Mayatsky pottery complex, IX - mid-10th century.
Mayatskoe village (settlement), IX - ser. X century.
Mayatskaya Fortress, IX - ser. X century.
Mayatsky burial ground, IX - the middle of the X century.
Cave complex in the Great Divas with the Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, XVII century.
Cretaceous remnants - Divas.
Source at the river Silent Pine.
Hotel.
Divnogorsk Compound.
Divnogorsk bone (12-14 thousand years ago)
Archaeological Park "From nomadic cities."
Divnogorsk canyon.
Geological and paleontological exposition.
Beam "Naked".
Wonderful shed.
Administration.
Cafe.
Restroom.

Chalk mountains

Once upon a time there was a sea in these places. Somewhere 137 million years ago. According to official figures) Cretaceous deposits arose at the bottom of the ancient sea - what is left of them now is picturesque chalky white pillars bizarre form, the so-calledremnants - Divas ("remnants" - emphasis on the last syllable).

Before chalk pillars - Div was more. When the Kharkov-Balashov railway line was built here, most of the poles were, alas, destroyed for the safety of train traffic.

Temple of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God - cave church in the Great Divas

Here you will hear from the guide a story about how in the 16th century the pious elders Xenophon and Joasaph, Orthodox Greeks, arrived in these places from Sicily and brought with them the icon of the Sicilian Mother of God. It is possible that it was Xenophon and Joasaph who cut down this church in the chalk pillar, where, according to legend, the icon ascended itself, indicating the place that it will protect. Or maybe already Russian monks knocked out this church in the 17th century.
The glorification of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God began in the middle of the 19th century, after which, thanks to her, the nearby settlements were saved from cholera.
In this unique temple, there is a truly unusual, reverent atmosphere of asceticism, a trembling sonorous silence.

The church has several tiers, on the second floor there are household premises, cells, a kitchen, a refectory. Around the altar is a narrow passage carved into the chalky rock for the procession.

The service is held here once a year: July 14 - the day of the acquisition of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God.

Mayatskaya fortress IX-X centuries. - outpost of the Khazar Khaganate

The view of this fortress was slightly disappointing - now there is almost nothing here. Once upon a time, in the first half of the 9th-10th centuries, Alans and Bulgarians lived here. Mayatskoye fortification is a fortress that once defended the northwestern outskirts of the powerful Khazar Khaganate. There was a settlement with a pottery center and a cemetery.

Canyon

The depth of the canyon is from about a five-story building. They say that just here you can see how the formation of the Cretaceous remnants, which we now see on the other side of the plateau, took place.

Impressive! Did not regret that they drowned!

Divnogorsk Holy Assumption Monastery. Cave complex in the Small Divas - the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist

According to legend, the same monastery was founded by the same wandering monks Xenophon and Joasaph. Here, the holy elders also found the place of their last resting place.

Frankly speaking, it’s far to go here with the guide of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve. Therefore, if you want to get into this cave temple, you need to go down to the Holy Assumption Monastery, you shouldn’t go here on duty at the temple without excursions. Tours are held at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. For a group of more than 10 people, they will agree to conduct an excursion at any time from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Small Divas themselves are generally no less impressive than Big Divas. Therefore, I recommend getting here (we went around by car), although they didn’t get into the cave temple itself.

And the last miracle happened the next day. Although we froze terribly while we stood and listened to the excursion on top of a plateau blown by all the winds, we froze so that we couldn’t get a toothache, and then after a two-hour excursion we went on our own to watch the canyon and the archaeological park “From Nomads to Cities” and the geological paleontological expedition, none of us fell ill. And this is just a miracle!

Geographical position

Divnogorsk Upland is located on the right bank of the river Don 80 km from Voronezh, if you move south. In 1988, a museum was organized here, which in 1991 received the status of a museum - reserve. The reserve covers an area of \u200b\u200b11 km², these are chalk deposits, the maximum height of which is 181 meters above sea level.

At the foot of a plateau, a river flows Silent Pine, it merges with the Don at an altitude of 78 m above sea level, and this affects the microclimate of the hill. The amount of precipitation here is 1.5 - 2 times less than on the plain. In the upper layer of soil 15 - 20% chalk, and if you go down to 80 m, then there is already pure chalk.

The Divnogorye region is a steppe zone, and today there you can see more than 250 species of plants, 40% of which are botanists belonging to small lovers (calcephites).

History reference

The history of the reserve begins in 1991, when a museum was organized here, however, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, the famous Russian geographer and traveler V.P. Semenov-Tian-Shansky spoke about the possibility and necessity of creating a reserve in this amazing place.

The very first mention of Divnogorye was made in his notes by Metropolitan Pimen, accompanying him on his journey across the Don, in 1389. Until the sixteenth century, the patrimony of nomadic peoples was here, and only then, in the process of developing new territories, did the Moscow state include the Voronezh Divnogorye. By the way, not “marvel”, in the sense of “miracle”, but “marvels” - unique chalk pillars formed the basis for the name of this region. Although, otherwise, as a miracle, it is also impossible to name it.

Read the article on the site about - an amazing monument of ancient civilization, as well as pay attention to the Ruskealsky marble canyon, an unforgettably beautiful joint creation of nature and man.

Divnogorsk Holy Assumption Monastery

Cave monastery, male, active. The date of its foundation is 1650, founded by Ukrainian Cossacks. However, there is a version that the monastery existed here almost from the time of the first Christians, and, to confirm this version, there are niches in the caves similar to the cells of monasteries of antiquity, as well as drawings on the walls, similar to those found in the catacombs of ancient Rome from the beginning Christianity.

According to legend, the monastery was founded by Greek monks Joasaph and Xenophonfleeing the persecution of Catholics. They brought with them icon of the Mother of God. However, historical science does not confirm the existence of a monastery here until the 17th century, since these places were the scene of constant clashes between the Russians and the Tatars. A version is being put forward that it could just be a monastery.

Actually, the first 80 people were sent here from Ostrogozhsk and Korotoyak to build fortifications against the Tatars on the defensive Belgorod line. The first monastery building was a wooden church in honor of John the Wonderworker in 1653. Then in the monastery there were only 15 monks.

The wooden church was destroyed by fire; in 1658, the Assumption Church was built in its place, and at the same time a cave church was created.

It was assumed that the monks would live in caves, but it is very difficult to exist in rooms saturated with lime, so it was decided to cut off part of the mountain and build cell buildings there. The passages and caves inside the mountain continued to expand and equip. Within the Don, it was the first cave monastery.

A place on the trade route from Crimea to Russia turned out to be quite dangerous. The Tatars often raided the monastery, so part of the fraternity in 1671 went west and organized a monastery over the Psel river. And the year before, on September 26, an important battle of troops took place near the walls of the Divnogorsk monastery Stepan Razin with the king’s troops, where the chieftain was defeated.

The monks began to stock up on defenses against uninvited guests, guns appeared on the bell tower, and caves with several exits and entrances could serve as a good shelter.

Gradually, the monastery acquired an economy. He was granted mills, a rich village, renting out rent, the right to sell salt. There was a rich library in the monastery, it was not only an economic, but also a spiritual center. And in 1693, “free wanders” received permission to settle on the lands of the monastery. People from Russia and Ukraine came there, it is surprising that even now in the village of Selyavnoy, that 2 kilometers from the monastery, Ukrainians and Russians live, each preserving its own language and traditions.

In May 1699 a young king visited the monastery Peter I. The monastery developed, grew rich, built stone temples, but with the coming to power of Catherine II, the situation changed dramatically - the monastery was deprived of serfs and land allotments, and the remaining brothers were transferred to other monasteries. Under Catherine II, many monasteries suffered such a fate, and only after her death did some of them begin to recover.

It was not easy to obtain permission to restore, but in 1828 the Korotoyak monastery was transferred to the territory of the Divnogorsky monastery. Actively resumed construction, at this time an architectural complex was created, including both ground buildings and cave structures.

In Soviet times, the monastery suffered the fate of most of these organizations - in 1924 the monastery was looted, and the monks were drowned in the Don. The monastery’s library was thrown into the water. Those who managed to escape from the massacre were shot in 1930. A rest house was placed in the monastery, and during the occupation there was a German hospital. In the 1960s, the holiday home was reorganized into a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.

In 1988, it was decided to preserve and restore the unique complex, with this purpose created State Museum - Reserve "Divnogorye"spread over the territory of 1100 hectares. Large restoration work was carried out.

In 1997, the monastery was returned to the church. It is gradually being restored and becomes a place of pilgrimage for believers. Every day in revived temples worship is performed. There is a pilgrimage excursion center.

Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God (Great Divas)

On the outskirts of the village Divnogorye are chalk cliffs Big Divas. Here are the caves that became known in 1831, when during the plague epidemic it was acquired icon of Our Lady of Sicily. Allegedly, an old lady of the Virgin dreamed about it and ordered to take the icon and pray in front of her. The plague receded, the icon helped and with other ailments, the people even called it “Healing”.

According to legend, this icon was brought by monks Joseph and Xenophon, by the way, personalities are quite mythical.

The Cretaceous Mountain-Outlier once served as a parking lot for nomadic steppe peoples, there were both Polovtsy and Pechenegs. Centuries later, in a compliant rock of the mountain, the hermit monks hollowed out caves and a temple, where they installed the icon brought by the monks.

The temple is supposedly dated to the 15th, or even to the 10th century (in this range, various sources describe the time when pious monks appeared here). Probably, in ancient times, hermits who came from different countries lived here.

In 1856, the cave complex was transferred to the monastery.

Today it is part of the museum-reserve where you can see the living, utility rooms and the temple itself, in which the service is held once a year. The temple is located on the ground floor, it is cool in the summer and warm enough in the winter, the air temperature is +12 - + 15 ° С.

Tourists (excursion groups) can visit from May to October, except Monday and Tuesday from 9.00 to 18.00 hours.

Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist (Small Divas)

2 km lower in the valley are Small Divas. These are also chalk pillars, the first mention of them was noted by Ptolemy, back in the II century. True, the caves were not mentioned then. It is known that in the XVI century there were 5 Lesser Divas, caves by that time had existed for a long time. With the advent of the Assumption Monastery, Small Divas went into its jurisdiction.

At an altitude of 85 meters, the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist is carved in a chalk pillar. A strict facade lined with chalk plates, the altar and steps are carved from stone. It is believed that this church was founded by Joseph and Xenophon, here they are buried. The modern architectural ensemble was formed in the 19th century.

One of the caves leads from the church to the monastery. There was also an underground passage connecting it with the river.

This is a complex of monuments. It is located at the confluence of the Silent Pine River in the Don. The first archaeological finds in this area date back to the beginning of the 20th century. However, the main work was carried out in the 1960s and 1970s. Was excavated fortresssurrounded by a moat, but no buildings were found inside it. Her defenders are believed to have lived in yurts.

Around the fortress - settlement, where it was studied about 50 buildings for various purposes, as well as household items, allowing you to get an idea about the life of our distant ancestors.
On the slope of the beam is a burial ground, 151 burial of which has already been investigated.

Casemate Cave

A kilometer from the village of Selyavnoye there is a chalk cave, very small in size, with a platform in front of the entrance. Most likely, it was once knocked out by a hermit monk, but it could be a good observation point for the early detection of numerous "adversaries" encroaching on the monastery. Therefore, the cave was called Casemate.

Pictures of Divnogorye

Nature Tours

This is an architectural and archaeological open-air museum where you can get acquainted with architectural monuments of the 17th-19th centuries, as well as the Mayatsky settlement complex dating back to the 9th-10th centuries, where you can see the village, the center of handicraft production, a necropolis and the remains of a medieval fortress. In addition, tourists will be shown the sites of an ancient person and unique natural monuments, including relic plants and insects.

The following excursions are offered to visitors:
Divnogorsk farmstead, Faces of chalk temples, Roads of the millennia, “From nomads to cities”, “Divnogorye is the pearl of the steppes”, Divnogorye reserve, Annals of Divnogorye.

How to get from Moscow to the museum-reserve

On personal vehicles: Moscow - Hut. Divnogorye. On the highway M - 4. 660 km.

The nearest settlement to Divnogorye is the town of Liski, which has a railway and bus station.

By train 83 Moscow-Liski from the Paveletsky railway station; Departure at 19.05.
Station address: Voronezh region., Liski, st. Railway station, 16.
Shuttle Buses to the city of Liski go from various bus stations and bus stations in Moscow.
Bus station Liski. Address: Voronezh region., Liskinsky district, Liski g., St. Communist, 18. From here, there is a long-distance communication with Moscow.
Liski - Divnogorye
By bus Liski - Kovalevo to the farm Divnogorye.
Departure from the station square of Liski.
Departure time: 11.15

Hotels closest to Divnogorye.

Hotel "Three Stars". Address: Liski city, Liberty 1B (main building), 118, Bolshaya Donetskaya
Private hotel "Rainbow". Address: Liski city, ave. Lenin, 3 and st. Mayakovsky 1
Hotel "Don". Address: Liski city, Communist, d. 7
Hotel on the territory of the mezeya reserve

Great is Russia! Getting acquainted with its amazing nature, sights and history, we begin to better understand it, and maybe ourselves.

Count the steps leading from the start of the tour to the cave church and the top of the hill. Before going on a tour of Divnogorsk open spaces you need to make a wish. If the number of steps counted on the way up coincides with the result of counting on the way down, then, as experienced tourists say, the wish will come true.
Go around the cave church along a narrow underground corridor with five turns. Piercing music is heard at this time, you are holding a candle in your hands - an indescribable atmosphere is created.
Take a picture against the backdrop of the Cretaceous remnants and the Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God - a business card of Divnogorye
Hear the echo. Climbing the stairs (do not forget to count them!) To the top of the mountain and jumping a little on the spot, you can hear the echo, since there are many voids in the chalk mountain.
Do the trick with the algae. On the chalky slopes in Divnogorye, you can see small dry brown particles - algae. If you put several such particles on your palm, pour them with water and hold for a while, then they will swell, open up and turn green. This is proof that thousands of years ago there was an ocean on the modern territory of Divnogorye.
To try tea from the collection of Divnogorsk herbs in a local cafe is a very tasty and healthy drink.
Plunge into the waters of Quiet Pine, a river that flows into the Don a few kilometers downstream.

Once in Divnogorye, which is conveniently located in the Liskinsky district Voronezh region at the confluence of the Don and the Silent Pine River, you involuntarily reproduce in your memory all the once read lines of the great Russian writers and poets about the greatness and unprecedented beauty of the Russian land.
Now, in the wonderful in its splendor territory of Divnogorye, a museum-reserve with the same name has been created.

Voronezh region is famous for its miracle throughout Russia. Divnogorye ... The name itself speaks of something marvelous, outlandish, wonderful, unique ... Indeed, there is something to marvel at. The very name of this amazingly beautiful place is due to the chalk pillars created by Mother Nature herself. It is precisely for their unique look and bizarre forms that these miraculous columns were popularly called "divas."

History of Divnogorye

Now on the wonderful in its splendor territory Divnogorye created museum reserve with the same name. For such a harmonious fusion of unique natural monuments, unique historical value, architectural monuments should be especially carefully preserved for our children. The first mention of Divnogorye and the beauty of these places is found in travel notes of Pimen - the Moscow Metropolitan, who in 1389 was sent along the Don to Constantinople.

In ancient times, the picturesque area of \u200b\u200bDivnogorye was inhabited by Alano-Bulgars, ancient Hungarians, descendants of the Sarmatians. And Divnogorye itself served as the border of the Khazar Kaganate, as evidenced by the border fortresses built on the Don built in the 9-10th centuries. The annals of the Khazar tribes in these places ended after a mortal blow in 965 by the Russian prince Svyatoslav. The ruins of the Mayatsk settlement on the seventy-meter elevation above the floodplains of the Don and Silent Pine rivers eloquently speak of the course of that battle.

Later, Divnogorye began to be settled by Slavic tribes, who gave it the name "Wild Field". The charm of the white Cretaceous Divas, carved by Nature itself, the proximity of a dark dense forest, two full-flowing rivers-nurse, many unknown cave-caches as a magnet attracted believers seeking peace and harmony. According to some archaeological data, there is a version that Christianity in Divnogorye existed even before the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and on the territory of the Lower Don even before the Baptism of Rus by St. Vladimir, due to convenient communication by water with Greece.

Temples and monasteries on the territory of Divnogorye

Orthodox traditions about two Greek monks who fled from Sicily from the oppression of Catholics and founded a cave on the territory of the “Wild Field” give some confirmation of this version. Temple of the Icon of the Sicilian Mother of God, named for the icon they brought with them. This church that gave rise to Divnogorsk monastery, the monks dug manually in the chalky base of one of the six surviving Great Divas.

This monastery was recognized by the Voronezh clergy only in 1856, and the temple of the icon of the Sicilian Mother of God was consecrated later, and twice - in 1862 and 1903. The entrance to the temple was decorated with a cross over the chalk pillar and a beautiful baroque icon case, which can be seen and now. The pearl of this temple - the icon of the Sicilian Mother of God in the middle of the XIX century was very popular among the population because of the outbreak of cholera in the surrounding villages, which, according to legend, was stopped by this miraculous icon. Later, the icon was stolen when sent for restoration in Moscow. Now in the shrine you can see only a list (copy) of this ancient image.

There is another Orthodox attraction in Divnogorye - Holy Assumption Divnogorsk Monastery, on the territory of which there is also a cave church - the Church of St. John the Baptist. According to some historical data, this monastery was founded in the middle of the XVII century (1653) by several monks led by Hegumen Guriy. About that time, there is a mention in the Personal Annals in the form of images of five Small Divas with the doors of the temple and icon cases above them, as well as from a letter from the hegumen Gury himself to the then reigning Alexei Mikhailovich: "... they built a monastery in the Divine Mountains and put churches and built a fence near the monastery with their labor."

Soviet power closed the monastery in 1924, and in 1927 the entire monastery complex became a sanatorium for the heroes of the revolution. During this time, new owners burned icons, plundered utensils and monastery property, caves were desecrated. For the entire existence of the Soviet Union, a beautiful historical monument was used only as a holiday home. And only in 1997 the territory and buildings of the Divnogorsk Assumption Monastery were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. To date, all the main buildings of the monastery complex are functioning, completely restored and restored, only cave churches are in the process of restoration.

Divnogorye at the present time

Modern Divnogorye is a unique museum, spread out under the open sky and attracting more and more tourists. Every guest in these beautiful places can find something to their liking. It is here that the unique place for new historical or architectural discoveries, it is here that active recreation in the bosom of pristine nature will be especially memorable and vivid, it is in Divnogorye that you breathe so easily and naturally thanks to ancient holy places that charm and fascinate with their centuries-old history, in the end, it’s here you understand with all my heart how great and multifaceted Russian history is, how fertile and incomparable the Russian Land is.

Do not miss the wonderful chance to visit these beautiful places.